Revenge, Regrets, and Relief
by Aspiring-to-Inspire
Summary: A year after Oliver killed Lex and everyone abandoned him, Chloe surprises him by showing up at his penthouse.


'_What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing?' _Chloe continuously asked herself as she drove down the busy street to get to Oliver's penthouse. It'd been at least a year since Oliver murdered Lex Luthor, and everyone had abandoned him. First, Clark told him to never talk to him again. Then, Lois told him that he's not the same person anymore. Oliver was shocked that Lois found out in the first place, but Lois called him later on and told him that Clark told her. After Lois and Clark abandoned him, Chloe did. She never knew why she did it. She honestly didn't mind the fact the Lex was finally out of their lives, and she wished that Lois and Clark would see that. Not too long afterwards, Lois admitted to Clark that she was in love with him. They planned to get married, and Chloe was going to make sure that Oliver would be at the wedding.

As soon as she arrived at the penthouse, she quickly exited her car and ran towards the building. While she was in the elevator, she thought about what she would say to him. It took her an entire year to finally show up on his doorstep, and now she was speechless. The elevator doors opened, and she just stood there. "Are you going to come in?" Oliver asked.

"Wow. I didn't even know you were standing there."

"Well?"

Chloe walked out of the elevator and looked around the room. It hadn't changed one bit. She turned back around to look at Oliver, who was waiting patiently for her to say something. "So, how has it been?"

"Please don't make this awkward."

"Yeah, I know. This is awkward. It's just…it's been so long…"

"Whose fault is that?" Oliver asked quietly.

"Hey! This isn't my entire fault. You could've come back to us at any time."

"I did, and all of you always told me to go away. You always said you didn't want to hear it, and I became exhausted. I was tired of apologizing."

"You're right, Oliver. It is our fault for leaving you. And, I'll be honest with you. I…I don't know why I left you. I didn't think you did anything wrong. I was glad Lex was finally gone. I wasn't so happy that you killed him of all men out there that wanted him dead. I knew you would go through a lot of shit afterwards, and you did. I'm sorry I left you, and that's why I'm here. I want us to be friends again."

"Why are you okay with what I did? Everyone else is pissed. Why aren't you?"

"Didn't I already answer that?"

"You were the one who said killing Lex wasn't the answer to getting rid of him."

"I didn't think I would be so relieved once he was gone."

"After a while, it does feel pretty good. I feel…lighter. There's not so much keeping me down now. Except the fact that there's no one that loves me anymore."

Chloe placed a comforting hand on Oliver's shoulder. "That's not true. I've always loved you. You've always inspired me one way or another. You've inspired a lot of people, Oliver."

"No, Chloe. The Green Arrow has inspired a lot of people. The Green Arrow gave people hope. The Green Arrow let people know there are heroes out there, but Metropolis belongs to the Red-Blue Blur now. I'm not the Green Arrow anymore. I'm not a hero. I may be relieved because Lex is dead, but by killing him…I gave up being a hero. A hero would've dealt with it. A hero would've dealt with Lex's crap, but I couldn't. I'm not a hero, Chloe. Not anymore."

"You're my hero, Oliver. My hero used to be Clark, but he says you're a different person, when the truth is…he's the different person. I'm not saying he isn't a hero. He's just not my hero anymore. You are. Trust me on this, Oliver. I know what I'm saying. If I didn't believe in you, then I wouldn't be here. You're my best friend. You've always been. I love you, Oliver. I don't want you to lock yourself up anymore. I'm here now, and I'm staying. I'm glad you actually talked to me tonight. I've left you alone this entire time, and now I show up? How selfish am I? Oliver, don't feel guilty. Please…I'm here."

Oliver lifted his head and looked at Chloe. He laughed and wiped away the one tear that slipped down his cheek. "I appreciate that, Chloe."

"Oh, Oliver!" Chloe threw her arms around Oliver's neck and hugged him.

"Chloe…it's okay." Oliver laughed and pulled away.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, we're good?"

"We're more than good. We're great."

"That's good."

"So, do you want to get a cup of coffee? You know, lighten up the mood?"

"Yeah. That sounds like an awesome idea, and over coffee we can discuss Lois and Clark's upcoming wedding."

"What?"

"It's a long story, but we'll talk about it later. Right now, let's just go get some coffee."

"Okay." Oliver started walking towards the elevator doors.

"Um…Oliver?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Thank you for forgiving me."

"No, Chloe. Thank you for forgiving _me_." Oliver hugged Chloe again, and they left the penthouse as friends once again.


End file.
